Mother, Son Square Off in Mayoral Battle

They say all politics is local. Well, it doesn't get much more local than the race to be president of Dixmoor, a small Illinois village where two of the candidates are mother and son, reports NBC News. Randall Casey may still live under his mother's roof, but the campaign has strained their interactions somewhat, says Wendy Casey. "Our relationship hasn't been as strong as it normally was," she admits.

Both are cautious about their familial competition making their poor, 3,500-person village look bad. "I'm not running against my mom. I'm running for the people of Dixmoor," says Randall. In addition to the Randalls, a town trustee is seeking the position, as is the incumbent mayor, who is accused of being basically homeless and living in city hall. Even though Randall's father Donald Luster, himself a former mayor, is endorsing his son and not Wendy, Wendy says she'll be magnanimous if he wins—but her son will still have to pay rent. "I can't let him live here rent-free," she says. "I wouldn't be a good mother if I did that." (More Dixmoor, Illinois stories.)